A St. Patrick's Day Meal. Oh, And Happy March!

Happy 1st day of March, friends.

To celebrate, I pulled out my pink trench coat today.

It was time.

'Cause it's March - and I'm ready to kick the doldrums of winter to the slushy curb and say "hello" to some colors of happy.

SO, winter blues be gone.

And, welcome Month o' Spring.

But, March - well, I suppose it's actually green. Four leaf clover green. So, we had corned beef for Sunday dinner.

We love us some good corned beef and cabbage around here. It's one of the Sunday dinner meals that greeted us at Mom's house every week when we lived back East, and every time we go back, I secretly squeal on the inside if I know she's serving it while we're there.

So, having her here this weekend, I bought a corned beef. And watched.

Carefully.

Ok, so I stalked her 'round the kitchen - asking question after question.

Because I've always been intimidated by making a brisket of corned beef. I don't know - somethin' about the spice pack and what the hey is it and how do you know when it's done since it looks the same before and after and what's the right pot to make it in?

Excuses, excuses. But, that feeling of "I just don't think I can do it right" is paralyzing when it comes to cooking, isn't it? I mean, intimidation alone will keep me from trying the most appealing of recipes. And, daggone it, I don't want to miss out on making really good food - just because I'm intimidated by it.

But, now - Corned Beef and Cabbage, complete with Mom's Parslied Potatoes - will become a regular at our house for Sunday dinner.

Because that stalking paid off. I think I can do it.

And, because it is ONE FABULOUS MEAL!

With St. Patty's Day comin' up, I figured I might not be the only one who's never made it. Or been intimidated by it. And, well - throwing down a corned beef and some cabbage on St. Patty's Day is like - I don't know - undeniably American.

Well, as American as spaghetti and meatballs.

And, pizza.

So, why not invite a few friends over and have a little St. Patty's Day dinner party? 'Cause here are the recipes for the quintessential St. Patty's Day meal: Corned Beef and Cabbage and Parslied Potatoes.

And, I know if I can do this, y'all can do it, too.

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Corned Beef
a family recipe...

You'll need: 1 (2-3lb) corned beef brisket with spice packet (the spice packet comes attached to the corned beef in it's own little pack)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Briefly rinse corned beef under running water. Place brisket in a large pot with lid and top with spice packet. Cover brisket with approximately 1 to 1 1/2 cups water and cook, covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Note: If making a larger brisket, or making two to serve a larger crowd, cooking time may be longer. A 2-3 lb corned beef will serve about four people.

Remove from oven, and slice against the grain. Serve.

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Cooked Cabbage
a traditional method...

Chop up one head of cabbage into large chunks, removing middle section. Place in large pot with 3 cups water and 1 tablespoon of salt.

Bring water to a boil and cook cabbage until soft. (Cabbage will reduce siginificantly in size when cooked. This is normal, so a whole pot of uncooked cabbage will reduce to about 1/3 of its size.)

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to cooked cabbage, toss, and serve.

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Parslied Potatoes
a family recipe...

3 pounds boiling potatoes, such as Yukon gold, russet, or Idaho
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon dried, or 1/4 cup fresh parsley

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into 1 1/2-inch cubes and add them to the boiling water. Bring the water to a boil again, lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes fall apart easily when pierced with a fork.

Drain most of water from potatoes, leaving about 2 cups of water in with potatoes. Continue to cook potatoes on low heat, stirring occasionally.

As you cook the potatoes, you'll notice them beginning to break down. Continue cooking, stirring until potatoes have absorbed most of the water.

Add butter and parsley. Mix until butter has melted.

Serve immediately.